Improvement in horseshoes



H; W. FLETCHER.

Horsesahoe.

Patented Dec. 16,1879.

WE JZESSEa.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\ HORACE W. FLETCHER, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN, HORSESHOES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 222,686, dated. December 16, 1879; application filed October 2, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE W. FLETCHER, of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horseshoes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of .the invention, whereby a person skilled in the art can make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Like letters in the figures indicate the same parts.

My invention relates to an improved form of horseshoe, adapted more especially to horses having flat feet, for the purpose of protecting the soles of the hoof from being injured by sharp stones upon the road.

The object of my invention is to prevent stones being caught in the foot by the shoe, or between the frog and the shoe, and to protect the foot from being indented and injured either by such stones or from any other cause.

My invention consists in a wide shoe, extending under the sole of the foot and sur rounding the frog, through which are slots, as will be hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents the under side of my improved shoe. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line m y of Fig. 1, looking toward the forward part of the shoe.

A is the outer part of my improved shoe, corresponding to a horseshoe as ordinarily constructed. It is provided with the calks A,

and with holes along the outer edges for attaching it to the hoof in the customary manner.

B is the inner part of the shoe, for protecting the sole of the foot. It is integral with the rest of the shoe, but ispartly detached therefrom by the slots E, which slots are for the purpose of allowing any sand or other earthy material to fall readily out and not become packed in between the shoe and the sole of the foot. The part B is intended to extend around the frog sufficiently near to it to prevent the entrance of stones or anything that would be apt to injure the sole of the hoof, although not sufficiently near to interfere with the "ertical movement of the frog or the ordinary action of the foot. There is also intended to be a space between the part B and the sole, so that this part of the shoe shall not touch the foot, but only serve as a protection to it. It is held firmly in its place by the connections atC and D, so that any pressure upon it is transferred to the outer crust of the hoof, which forms the bearing of the ordinary shoe.

What I claim as my invention is-- A shoe extending, when applied to use, under the sole of the foot nearly to and surrounding the frog, provided with openings or slots, substantially as described.

HORACE W. FLETCHER.

Witnesses THEO. G. ELLIs GERTRUDE L. ELLIS. 

